Cetera Investment Advisers decreased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 20.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,058 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 6,077 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $6,030,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 410 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $113,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.3% during the first quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 13,773 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $3,452,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 905 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $249,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.9% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 3,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $661,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
WST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, July 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $447.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, July 24th. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $360.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $364.42.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on WST
West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance
West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $341.04 on Monday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $339.80 and its 200 day moving average is $289.64. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $223.83 and a one year high of $386.00. The firm has a market cap of $24.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 2.12.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $872.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.98% and a return on equity of 20.11%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.84 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.140-2.240 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.850-9.050 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.94 EPS for the current year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 11.27%.
West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile
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Free Report)
West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc is a global developer and manufacturer of components, systems and services that enable the containment and delivery of injectable drugs. The company focuses on high-quality packaging and delivery solutions for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, producing primary drug packaging components and specialized drug delivery devices used for vaccines, biologics and other injectable therapies. West is known for its elastomeric closures, seals and polymer components that maintain sterility and compatibility with sensitive drug formulations.
In addition to component manufacturing, West provides engineered delivery systems and support services across the product lifecycle.
Further Reading

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